Henry Bowers
Henry Bowers is the psychopathic school and neighborhood bully and the secondary main antagonist of the novel It, its 1990 miniseries, and the 2017 film adaptation. He is the leader of The Bowers Gang, a gang of preteen bullies who rival the Losers' Club. Early Life Raised in a poor, violent environment by his mentally ill father, Butch Bowers (an ex-marine who reputedly went insane and psychotic after being relieved of his war activities), Henry rapidly developed into a hateful, loathing individual who would often display immediate negative and stereotypical feelings towards those around him (particularly his classmates). In particular, Butch's deep racism leads to Henry choosing the African-American Mike Hanlon as his favorite bullying target. Despite his hostile nature however, during his childhood (beginning in first grade of 1952) Henry would go on to make friends among other bullies of his age, with his closest being the more intelligent Victor "Vic" Criss and the unusually large and clumsy yet rather muscular Reginald "Belch" Huggins and the rest being the psychologically-disturbing Patrick Hockstetter, well-off Peter Gordon, the slightly retarded Steve "Moose" Sadler, and dim-witted Gard Jagermeyer. All six of these boys he would assort into a gang of his own: The aptly-named Bowers Gang. After Henry's mother leaves the family from the constant physical abuse of Butch Bowers, Butch gains a girlfriend in Rena Davenport. Rena is "fair, fat, and forty" and makes baked beans for the family every single weekend. Erosion to Insanity (1958) During and prior to the summer of 1958, Bowers torments the Losers with several acts of violence, such as partially carving his name onto Ben Hanscom's belly, killing Mike Hanlon's dog with raw meat laced with insect poisoning, breaking Eddie Kaspbrak's arm, and white washing Stan Uris' face in the snow until it bleeds. Following the apocalyptic rock fight with the Losers in July, Henry becomes more and more sadistic and even goes as far as to swear revenge to the Losers after the fight. His deteriorating sanity becomes apparent during subsequent violent attacks on Eddie and Beverly. In late August, It provides Henry with a switchblade which he uses to kill his crazy abusive father. Under the influence of It, Henry alongside his friends, Victor "Vic" Criss and Reginald "Belch" Huggins, chase the Losers down through the sewers. Under Derry, It then takes the form of Frankenstein's Monster, and kills Vic and Belch in front of him. Henry still manages to escape while his friends were busy being killed by It. Part of him feels guilty that he lived and they died and wonders sometimes if they blamed him (as they're dying and possibly in the afterlife). Henry was eventually framed by It and convicted for most of the murders that occurred throughout the summer. He was committed to the Juniper Hill Asylum. He counts how many nightlights he burns out (four) and remains there until May 29, 1985 when he escapes. Return and Death (1985) In 1985, It is unable beat the Loser's Club alone - so It takes the form of one of Henry's deceased friends Vic, and makes him do It's dirty work (though in the first film adaptation, it is Belch who appears to Henry and persuades him to go after the grownup Losers). It also kills Koontz (one of the guards of the mental hospital) in the form of a tall doberman to stop him from preventing Henry's escape. Bowers encounters Mike at the Derry Public Library and engages in a violent brawl with him. Using his old switchblade provided by It, Henry stabs Mike's thigh, cutting his femoral artery (although Hanlon manages to wound him with a letter opener in self defense). With the guidance of It (this time in the form of Belch Huggin's reanimated corpse), the severely injured Bowers then moves on to the Derry Town House, where he plans to kill the remaining Losers, one by one. He begins by knocking on Eddie Kaspbrak's door and attacking him, breaking Eddie's arm in the same place he did in 1958, before Eddie is able to get the better of Henry and finish him with a broken water bottle. It is unknown what was the inspiration behind his name although it was most likely Henry Francis Bowers who was an American politician, or he could have been named after Henry Robertson Bowers who was the lieutenant of the ill fated Terra Nova Expedition. Trivia *He is similar to Ace Merrill, as they both confront their victims outside of school. *Henry is mentioned in the novel 11/22/63 by Beverly and Richie while talking to Jake Epping about the whereabouts of the Dunning family. Appearances * IT * It (miniseries) * 11/22/63 (mentioned) * It: Chapter One (2017 film) External Links *Henry Bowers - Stephen King Wiki *Henry Bowers - Villains Wiki Category:Movie Bullies Category:Live-Action Bullies Category:Murderer Category:Child Bullies Category:Teenage Bullies Category:Physical Bullies Category:Archenemies Category:Seeker of Vengeance Category:Bullies with Mental Illness Category:Deceased Bullies Category:Lead Bullies Category:Humans Category:School Bullies